thistle



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H. L. THISTLE, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

SPRING BED-BOTTOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all 'whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, H. L. THIs'rLE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Bottoms for Bedsteads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a plan of the spring bottom; Fig. 2, a cross vertical section; and F ig. 3, a longitudinal vert-ical section.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the iigures.

Spring bottoms for bedsteads, as they have'heretofore been made with helical or spiral springs, are very expensive on account of the necessity of using a very large number of springs to present a-suflicient extent of supporting surface, as it will be obvious that no support is afforded to persons lying on the bed in the spaces between the springs, and the required support has heretofore been obtained only, by a multiplicity of springs Another objection is the diiiculty of taking out broken springs and replacing them which requires an upholsterer. And as servants cannot take them apart they cannot be readily cleaned and moved. By my improvements I avoid all these objections.

In the accompanying drawings (a) represents a bedstead which may be of any suitable construction, but provided with cross bars (Z), Z), b) which I prefer to secure by putting the ends thereof into notches in two strips (c, c) secured to the inside of the side rails, so that they can be readily put in and taken out. These bars are providedon their upper surfaces with projecting knobs (d to fit into the lower ends of a series of helical springs (e) so as to hold the said springs in place, and yet admit of removing and re- 31,196, dated January 22, 1861*.

being inserted in mortises in two rails (it, l1.)

secured to the inside of the head and foot board or rails of the bedstead. The helical springs are first put onto the knobs (d), on the cross bars (b) and then the slats are bent up and the ends inserted vin the mortises of the head and foot rails and asA they spring down the knobs (g) on their under faces are let into the upper ends of the helical springs, which should be of such height as to make the slats spring up inthe middle of their length, that being the part which has to sustain the heaviest weight. By these means afspring bottom is formed having a much larger extent of bearing surface for the number of springs employed, than by any other known mode, the

whole can be readily taken apart for the purpose of cleaning' or moving, or for taking out and replacing any of the parts which may be broken. And when put together the springs are supported in the required posi-4 

